Alley & Marketplace Rules
The Space
Artists must have the capability to and be actively engaged in producing original artwork while occupying their table. Artists who are only displaying items for sale, who have no capability to produce art are not eligible for space in the Alley.
Space: Artists are each allotted three feet of space at their table. All of their belongings must be kept on or under this space.
Displays: Artists may have 14”x14”x14” display (a standard wire cube) on which they may place merchandise or example work. The remainder of the three feet of space can be used for producing art, display of art books or prints, commissioning information, etc. Artists with larger displays will be asked to downsize or remove them. We want every artist to be fully seen by our attendees regardless of position and this ensures no one is hidden behind another artist's display!
Banners: Artists may have an overhang over the front of their table with their name or displaying some of their original artwork, so long as it does not interfere with the display of numbers or exceed their allotted space.
Power: THERE IS NO POWER AVAILABLE IN THE ALLEY! Midwest FurFest is unable to provide power in the Alley. Now that we are located in the convention center, the penalties for plugging a device into an outlet are severe, and artists will be liable if they choose to violate the no-power policy. Portable batteries are encouraged.
Trash: All belongings and trash must be removed by the artist when they leave their space. Failure to do so will result first in a warning, then removal of Alley privileges. The convention accepts no responsibility for items left unattended.
Pre-Made Merchandise: Artists can sell pre-made merchandise in the Alley as long as they are also actively producing art while seated. Merchandise in the alley is limited to 3 types of pre-made items (e.g. buttons, stickers, plushies, pins, t-shirts, etc.)
Fursuit parts and partials are allowed for sale, but These parts do count toward your item quota for pre-made goods, and must still fit comfortably within the space of your table without impinging on your neighbors.
Lamination: There will be a laminator at the staff table that is free for use, but artists must provide their own lamination sheets. Please note staff will not laminate for you, and is not responsible for any damage that may be incurred to artwork.
Noise and Lights: Items that generate an unacceptable noise level, distracting and/or flashing lights are all prohibited. The Alley can be an overwhelming space with the sheer number of artists and attendees without the addition of music and bright lights. This includes excessive volume of one's voice, personal music, computers/tablets, hand-held games, etc. Headphones are strongly encouraged for artists who want to listen to music. Repeated complaints will result in loss of Alley privileges.
Visitors and Helpers: Space behind tables is very limited and, in many cases, shared with the artist sitting behind you. Visitors and non-seated artists are not permitted unless it is to view or commission work; however, we understand that some artists may require assistance due to a disability. We will gladly provide accommodation for these circumstances. Unnecessary clutter is not permitted, and aisles must be kept clear for traffic and fire exits must not be blocked.
Tip Jars or Printed Solicitations: Tip Jars and solicitation are prohibited in the Alley & Marketplace. If a tip jar is set out, the artist will first be asked to remove it. Failure to comply may result in removal from the Alley/Marketplace. Please note we encourage buyers tipping, but not open solicitation for them!
Leaving the Space
Short Breaks (Artist Alley): Artists must remain at their space at all times during open hours if they wish to retain it. We allow a fifteen minute break period for artists to utilize the facilities, quickly grab food, meet with commissioners or friends, or generally any brief break an artist may need to take.
Long Breaks (Artist Alley): If an artist wants to leave for an extended period of time, they must check out of their table and place themselves back into the lottery. Note that extra time will be given to those with disabilities if they require it.
Sales & Merchandise
Only artwork created by or featuring the seated artist may be sold. The Alley is not a free alternative to the Dealers Den or Art Show. For that reason, we cannot accept any agents reselling another artist's work. If there are any doubts that work is appropriate, please contact the Artist Alley/Marketplace staff prior to the convention.
Artwork must be appropriate for a furry convention space, and no more than half of displayed work may be non-fandom related.
Selling at Midwest FurFest is restricted to the following areas and ONLY by those that have been approved to sell within them. These areas are: The Dealers Den, the Art Show, the Artists Alley, and the Artist Marketplace. Sales may not take place anywhere else at the convention outside of these spaces and unauthorized sales are a violation of convention rules.
As the Alley is not a paid-for space, Midwest FurFest has chosen to limit the type and amount of merchandise that can be sold in the Alley space. These rules are revisited and may change on a year-to-year basis.
Acceptable items for sale include the following: Original Artwork produced before or during the convention (including sketchbook commissions), prints of original artwork, books of original artwork or writing and small crafted items to include buttons, stickers, handmade plushies, figurines, swag, magnets, and other small wearable items. Clothing and DVDs and CDs may be sold but are limited to two displayed designs. The Artist Alley/Marketplace staff reserves the right to interpret what is appropriate and what is not.
Important note: Original Artwork refers to art created by the seated artist. This can include collaborative work but may not be another artist's exclusive work. We understand that some work may be produced by others, and that may be displayed if it features the seated artist's work.
Art that is not acceptable for sale in the Alley include: Consumables of any kind (no food or drink), copyrighted/trademarked items of any kind including commercially produced plushes, clothing, buttons, toys, etc. This also includes items that are too large for the allotted display area.
If an artist has questions about the suitability of their merchandise, please contact the Artist Alley/Marketplace staff before the convention via email: artistsalley@furfest.org
Intellectual Property (IP) Policy
Official Midwest Furry Fandom Inc. Legal Policy as of August 2026:
You must own or have licensed the rights to all merchandise you have for sale. If this depicts a character of any kind in any medium, you must be the owner of all necessary copyright and trademark rights or you must have licensed them from the owner. Practically, this means that if someone is selling merchandise depicting characters owned/published by a commercial entity, Dealers cannot sell it unless they can prove they have the license to do so in writing.
This includes:
Unlicensed depictions of characters appearing in third parties' movies, TV shows, books, sound recordings, still images, sculptures or any other media.
No counterfeit goods are allowed.
Unauthorized reproductions ("bootlegs") of books, audio-visual, sound recordings, or other media are prohibited
Any other articles that Midwest Furry Fandom deems to violate this policy in its sole discretion.
Please note that this excludes individual commissioned works produced during the convention.
Midwest Furry Fandom, Inc. reserves the right in its sole discretion to require the removal of any articles that violate this policy. Midwest Furry Fandom Inc reserves the sole right to respond to refusal to comply with this policy in any appropriate manner including revocation of privileges to conduct commerce at Midwest FurFest and removal from Midwest FurFest premises.
Generative AI
Midwest FurFest firmly and thoroughly supports the artists and creators of our wonderful community, no matter what their medium or talent may be. Creativity is the beating heart of all that we are and because of that, we remain strongly opposed to the use of generative AI. Any and all works displayed, exhibited, sold or played that utilize generative AI in their final product are strictly prohibited at Midwest FurFest. If works featured within the Dealer's Den, Artists Alley, Marketplace and/or the Art Show are found to utilize generative AI, the pieces and their associated vendor will be removed from the space(s). Furthermore, there will be a one-year ban on their return to the vendor spaces area Midwest Furfest to underline the consequences of violating this policy and protect our creative community.
If a piece is suspected to be partly or wholly created by generative AI, our staff will review the piece(s) to ensure fairness to the artist in question. We do strive to keep this outside of our convention spaces, but we also promise our artists will be treated with kindness and respect during the process. We ask for cooperation and understanding from our artists under review and we will strive to ensure that our efforts remain discrete until a decision has been made.
Generative AI has no place at Midwest FurFest and we will do all that we can to ensure it remains that way.
Ratings & Minors
The convention center Alley space is one large room, open to minors and adults alike. Minor badges are clearly displayed, and it is an artist's responsibility to ensure they are aware of who they are dealing with. Artists who sell, commission, or display any adult artwork to a minor will be removed from the Alley for the rest of the convention. This is a zero-tolerance policy.
Artists will keep their adult artwork covered/censored (sticky notes, washi tape, and stickers all work well) at all times and kept in clearly marked binders. Binders will be closed when they are not being browsed. The exception to this policy is when adult work is actively being created. The responsibility is on the artist to keep that work discreet to prevent purposeful viewing by a minor.
Underage artists must either be accompanied by a parent/guardian at all times, or have their parent/guardian discuss permissions with the Artist Alley/Marketplace staff.
Crafted items of an adult nature may not be displayed in the Alley space.
Be aware that the Artist Alley/Marketplace staff have the final say on what is or is not appropriate to display. We retain the right to require an artist to remove a specific piece from display at any time for any reason.
Food & Drink
Only closed, sealed containers are allowed on tables. Beverages in cups or cans are not allowed. All drinks must be sealed when not being consumed to prevent accidental spills. No artist wants their work ruined by an accident.
Candy and other finger foods may be offered by artists, provided they are in wrappers of some kind. Open water cups or containers ARE permitted for the production of art.
Taxes
Per Illinois law, any vendor selling items at Midwest FurFest is required to collect sales tax. The collection and remittance of taxes to the Illinois Department of Revenue is the responsibility of the individual artist. Information on filing can be found at the Illinois Department of Revenue's website (https://www.revenue.state.il.us/). Midwest FurFest is required to provide the names of all vendors to the Illinois Department of Revenue, and we are not able to offer assistance with tax questions. Required paperwork is available through the Department of Revenue's website. Please note: The city of Rosemont's sales tax is 10.25%.
Artist Alley/Marketplace staff cannot answer any questions regarding taxes, except to direct artists to the information above.
Communication
Artist's Alley/Marketplace staff will post any announcements and/or policy changes at the administrative table during the convention, as well as be available for feedback and comments.
Alley/Marketplace staff and Midwest FurFest cannot be held responsible for communications between artists and customers for any reason. Contact information provided by the artists to the Alley staff is confidential and will not be shared with attendees without the expressed permission of the artist; however, artists are expected to provide customers with an appropriate method of contacting them, whether it be business cards, website links, email, messenger usernames and so on. Artists who show a pattern of misconduct related to business conducted with customers in the Midwest FurFest Artist's Alley/Marketplace will no longer be welcome in the space.
Final Word
The Artist Alley/Marketplace Staff has the final say on anything not immediately covered by the rules in any section of this page and are responsible for resolving any disputes regarding it.
Questions?
Questions before the convention can be addressed to the Artist Alley/Marketplace Director Mutt and/or Vendor Team Lead, Nall, via email: artistsalley@furfest.org.